About The FLEX Program
Discover FLEX, discover the world
Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) is a cultural exchange program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and administered in Georgia by American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS (American Councils) and supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. The program provides Georgian students with an opportunity to study in an US high school and live in an American host family for one academic year.
Why FLEX?
The U.S. Government feels that it is important to provide meaningful opportunities to young people — opportunities that will provide them with global perspectives and, it is hoped, a bright future at home, at work, and in international relations.
As the whole world becomes more interdependent, both young Americans and young people from Eurasia need to know as much as possible about each other and other people and nations. This opportunity is best provided by a cultural host family situation. FLEX students are also young ambassadors who teach Americans about the people and culture of Eurasian countries. Students gain an appreciation for and develop sensitivity to other cultures and become better prepared for an increasingly interdependent world; a benefit that extends to their American peers and others in their host communities. Students form strong ties with their American host families and U.S. communities, building relationships that often last a lifetime.
Many alumni have attended prestigious universities upon their return home, and later found exciting jobs that use skills learned during their stay in the United States. Studies of educational and cultural exchange programs show that participants (students, families, and communities) benefit from learning about other cultures and becoming aware of other traditions, values, and viewpoints.